#educoach Archive
The #educoach hashtag is used by instructional coaches around the world. We chat each Wednesday at 8pm CST on Twitter and use the hashtag throughout the week to share resources, ask questions and collaborate with instructional coaches.
Wednesday August 17, 2016
Good evening Let’s start by introducing ourselves and sharing a success story from the week.
Shira here co-moderator & founding director of My great unit planning w/an incredible team of educators
Lauren, K-5 Instructional Coach, Indiana. My is a shout out to all of our new Ts!They're amazing educators & so impressed!
Welcome Lauren! Glad you could make it to Have you been focused on coaching new teachers?
If you are new to we use a Q1 A1 format. Remember to use the hashtag. The best place for transcripts is https://t.co/dU5KsUu32h
yes and just being a support to them as we build our relationship and collaborative partnership.
Kevin, IC in Minnesota, highlight was an admin/coach mtg to talk stages of T reflectiveness -from &
Roy from Floyd Co, Ga. Science IC. ? filling up my September schedule with modeling a sci technique for Ts.
What a gift to begin a career with a coach for support & partnership!
Souds amazing! Nurturing teacher reflection is such a vital part of coaching. Would love to hear more
Welcome to Nice! Getting a handle on the schedule is huge.
Welcome to Nice! Getting a handle on the schedule is huge.
Tonight we are discussing chapters 9, 10, 11 of The Art of Coaching Teams by . Let’s get started!
Q1 What are tips you have for leading facilitative coaching conversations, in which a coach guides & pulls a teacher’s learning?
A1 Love having my own thinking pulled/stretched - I like to model sharing how my thinking is being stretched
A1: Listen and give wait time to allow for processing. Guide questioning around reflective practice that values all perspectives.
A1: Coaching convos focused on learning will be most effective if TRUST is in place first.
Hello ! I'm Instr Coach at Turner HS in Kansas City. Happy to finally be here with this amazing PLN.
Welcome to Laura! So glad you could make it here tonight!
Agreed-Trust is a foundation in coaching convos. We won't get far without it. https://t.co/WTaeu3S9Va
A1: Coaching convos focused on learning will be most effective if TRUST is in place first.
Hello 2nd year coach in CA, spent all last year building trust
Q2 What are tips you have for leading a cathartic coaching conversation, helping a teacher release emotions blocking progress?
Nice, Lisa. Can you share some of what you did to build trust?
A2 Empathy. Sympathy. Privacy. Solidarity. I've been there and I was sad/mad/frustrated too!
hours of listening, always maintaining confidentiality
A2 I’ve been working on recognizing the emotion present in teaching&coaching, and navigating conversations to discuss them openly
your coaching relationships will be stronger for it. Relationship building is so impt your first yr and every yr!
Open ended Qs framed by end goal/vision. Affirmations of them as empowered learners & leaders--so important.
A1: Haven't done this long.Listening skills are a must,plus a few focusing prompts,steering the conversation to a productive one.
Absolutely. So well said, Andy! https://t.co/qSu8yJpL4z
A2 Empathy. Sympathy. Privacy. Solidarity. I've been there and I was sad/mad/frustrated too!
A2: Empathy; showing vulnerability from both viewpoints. Listen to understand.
Q3 What are tips you have for leading a catalytic coaching conversation, stimulating change without forcing or mandating change?
"both viewpoints" wow you've reframed the prompt powerfully. Dueling viewpoints are challenging to manage!
Honoring sadness, anger, & frustration for teachers&students is vital &sometimes very uncomfortable, difficult to do
A2: Use an assets-based approach to lead Ts to identify strengths to build on for ongoing coaching collaborations
A3 Just the right question is much more powerful than advice.
& diverse perspectives lead to learning&growth; so important
Q4 What are tips you have for leading a supportive coaching conversation, providing confirmation and encouragement?
A2: Don't have any tricks. Relying on instinct in building trust and developing a meaningful relationship with a peer.
Perhaps being as fully present as possible
Good evening! Greg- K, MD. Joining a bit late. Ready to grow! Hope all are well.
Welcome to Greg. So glad you could make it tonight!
Yes! Build on strengths! We're all in this to lead our kids--& it ain't easy! Let's coach each other up https://t.co/BpOKRWupS4
A2: Use an assets-based approach to lead Ts to identify strengths to build on for ongoing coaching collaborations
A4: Paraphrase, provide words of affirmation tied into a strengths based approach to guide next steps.
A4 Assume teachers are doing their best, just like students. CPS approach per
A4: While we try to be nonjudgmental as coaches; stepping in with praise can be very powerful
A3: I'm sure empowerment of T change is important. Having already built a relationship before stimulating change would be a plus.
I like for my coaches to stretch me to achieve more; show me I can achieve more than I am imagining
How are you sharing with admin about the changes in S learning & sense making? https://t.co/l3IykBVGkH
What do admins look for when they observe a science classroom?
A2- Be authentic. Be a willing listener, developing respectful rapport.
Q5 How might you become more deliberate about the type of coaching conversation you decide to have with a teacher?
+1 stretch and achieve more than previously imagined
A4 I find Ts don't see selves as bldg ldrs. They are! Typical verbiage: Only Admins are schl leaders. TELL Ts WHAT YOU SEE in them
Thanks Shira! Good to be here! Not a coach, myself, but perhaps in the next couple of years. Ready to learn!
A5: it's considering the end in mind. What's the end desired result for the T. Then be intentional yet still responsive to needs.
I think we can all be coaches regardless of “job title”. Welcome to
+1 keeping the end in mind, yes!
A5: I think being empathic and listening with care can help us determine type of convo that can be most helpful
love! Ultimately, we want to empower our colleagues to see themselves as leaders. We all have things to offer!
This is important. Just like w/ Ss, build confidence! As also need to be intentional about empowering Ts.
Any tips on how carve out time for these talks?
Q6 What are ways coaches can scaffold learning for teachers, designing a gradual release of responsibility from coach to teacher?
Simply be present. Engage routinely, develop comfort level and rapport. Build capacity for collab and growth.
Goal-set with leadership, agreeing on purpose and importance of coaching. Time reflects priorities
Time is so brutal; as much as possible write the conversation time into your calendar. It is hard.
A6- An action plan allows for gradual release of responsibility. Goal-setting leading to a plan leading to step by step movement.
A5. Conversation decisions can be made by deciding if you are coaching light, or ready to move into a heavy coaching role
A6: Showing them the "why" then the "what" and the "how"; model, co-teach, observe, reflect, and take action together.
A6- Modeling, engaging, observing, providing feedback and support. Building Ts confidence.
I love deliberately putting reflection into this process
A6: Recognize that teams have a ZPD just as indiv Ts do. Pay attention to how/when a team struggles and find ways to support them
reflection is powerful for both parties. We grow when we reflect!
+1 Zone of Proximal Development for pedagogy!
Q7 How might you use the arts in coaching conversations (acting, film, writing, storytelling, visual arts, music)?
How many Ts inspire other Ts but feel unempowered? How can we let the magic out of their classroom box? https://t.co/0wEbcD8cGQ
love! Ultimately, we want to empower our colleagues to see themselves as leaders. We all have things to offer!
A6 taking a balanced coaching approach, relationship, confer and set goals, model, co-teach, observe, reflect, reflect, reflect
A7 Offering the right conditions for creative expression can unlock untapped and unseen teaching and learning potential
Love the term “balanced coaching” - translation from balanced literacy model
A7: love using quotes, video clips, or short passages to bring into the convo
Hi! Heather Sisson joining late, Olympia WA Elementary Science Coach
A7- Allow for, encourage, support artistic freedom & creative expression. So many benefits of arts integration for Ts & Ss alike.
Happy to jump onboard this evening! Jeff Hiser, School Counselor at Bishop Lynch High School, Dallas, TX
Give them permission to let the magic out, provide opportunity for sharing & RECOGNIZE. This breaks down walls
such a great point! One of the many reasons we serve a vital role in empowering our colleagues!
arts help us to differentiate between inspiration and craft. Necessary components to reaching goals
Bringing playful creativity to coaching has so much potential; I haven't used the arts in coaching convos&want to try
A7. We love to use movie/tv clips! Ferris Bueller, Mr. Hand from Fast times and I Love Lucy! Fun to us as example and non-examples
Arts help us express ideas we might not have even known we have; I really want to learn to use the arts in coaching
A7: What's the dif'ce between a T who sees their trade as a chore, and a T who sees their trade as an art? It. is. huge.
Welcome Jeff So glad you could join tonight
Please do share with us at Sounds amazing!!!
Culture shift needs to occur so T's feel comfortable sharing successes
A7- Artistic products = great demos of content () understanding in elementary (& so important for emergent writers)!
ideas w/o skills in developing the, are empty. Beethovens 5th is much more than duh-duh-duh-duhhhhh.
agree; so sad that teachers often don’t feel comfortable sharing successes (or failures)
Q8 In what circumstances might a coach decide to directly offer advice or solutions to a teacher?
Agree important to have fertile space for ideas. More important to have framework for developing to completion.
A8 When students aren't learning. When the classroom is toxic.
& frameworks for feedback and for measuring impact
Goes back to myth that admins are only school ldrs. Ts may hide in their room bc they think it's their place.
A8: When teacher asks (there are times I’ve asked a coach to share wisdom from their practice I know they have)
A8 in a time crunch and it benefits Ss
+1 offering advice when asked. Works in relationships outside school too!
True. Or because they fear they won’t be heard; or will be viewed as arrogant
A8: feedback is impt,yet there are times when we need to be more explicit and proactive w/our suggestions; immed. action necessary
A8: when teacher is unable/unwilling to assess their own reality. IC should get permission front to consult though
A8:if set up ongoing times to reflect & discuss things that worked & didn't, then offering solutions/advice wouldn't seem punative
A8 When the safety of the students comes in question, it's time to make more than solicited suggestions. Solutions STAT
Q9 When might a coach confront a tchr about assumptions, behaviors or beliefs that might be limiting the teacher’s effectiveness?
Great reasons on when to step in more proactively. Our students and their well being drive our actions. https://t.co/IXiK8iLoaB
A8 When students aren't learning. When the classroom is toxic.
A8: May depend on relationship w. T. May depend on how desperate the situation is in the Ts eyes.
A8-moments where T is at a loss for any ideas to try I will slip into consultancy rather than collaboration, but hold out if poss
do you feel there could be other ways to support them in seeing their reality? With video reflection for example?
A9 When those assumptions, behaviors, or beliefs are actively harming students' learning or social-emotional health.
Ahhh I’ve been asking ?’s on chapters from Art of Coaching;not Art of Coaching teams. I am sorry&appreciate the feedback
Ahhh I’ve been asking ?’s on chapters from Art of Coaching;not Art of Coaching teams. I am sorry&appreciate the feedback
Confession time: requested book from lib, not received yet, had no idea
haha!! I was wondering but was going with it. Still growing our thinking and making connections regardless!
lol; I am really on overload w/beginning of yr prep:) I love the understanding folks at
A9: "Tough-question" part of the chat. IC's mindset is action built upon cooperation. At some pt., the Ss best interest rules.
Yes! You all at are great sports! Thx for understanding! School prep overload:)
A8 & A9: Build trusting relationships first, nothing changes until TRUST is built
What helps most in building trust?
Enjoyed the chat. Everyone have a good week.
Priceless gif!!! I have read it; just some time ago:)
Two way communication! There has to be a time both parties listen, even if it's difficult to hear.
Q10: What take aways do you have from tonight’s chat?
A10: folks are incredibly kind&good humored (I knew that) & I am exhausted!
A10: folks are incredibly kind&good humored (I knew that) & I am exhausted!
It's hard to trust those that never hear what I have to say. How can we solve a problem together if I've never been asked?
A9 pt 2-There's something to trusting your heart. If it gives u the creeps to let it sit, sometimes it must be discussed
A10: trust is the foundation of coaching conversations; we form these convos in response to the needs of Ts w/feedback and action
I get to let & know they left me to moderate alone&I discussed the wrong book:) I do love
BEING around, visible facetoface as well as email, Twitter, FB. ENJOYING yourself in classrms. Storytelling the +!
A9- S safety and emotional health for sure
Great ideas; would love to hear more about the storytelling!
Grateful for your time and prep! Love
